Logic Pro X or X2Pro for OMF/AAF Export

Hi guys.

Just finishing off a 1 hour television documentary in FCP X 10.1.1 all has gone swimmingly.

It's a bit like "Comedians in Cars Going for Coffee" so lots of multicam with separate sync audio.

I'm nearing the point where I'll have to export an OMF/AAF for either ProTools or Nuendo.

So... What do you guys recommend? Ideally I'd prefer to get Logic Pro X as it's only marginally more expensive than X2Pro and would give me another great tool to use rather than just a one trick pony.

You will need XtoPro Audio convert anyway to get it into Logic in a nice way. The direct convert to logic through XML from FCP X is pretty much useless at this point.

X2Pro is better because it will let you export specific roles and then those roles show up in Logic or ProTools in a nice organized way. If you just import the FCPXML into Logic, it's just an awful mess. It's really kind of pathetic how awful Logic is at handling FCPX audio, like embarrassingly bad. It blows my mind, it's just a disaster and total fail by Apple.

Bum. Well thanks for the heads up guys. At least I didn't waste any money on Logic then.

Are there any tricks to getting multicams to play nicely with X2Pro?

I haven't done a ton of multi cam, but X2Pro is very straightforward. As long as your roles are set well it's a breeze. Do get the "pro" version though, the LE version is good, but lacks some fairly important features... mainly handles and Role sorting.

Thanks.

When you say have your roles sorted what exactly do you mean?

My roles for audio are currently: Dialogue, Voice Over And Effects.

Please don't tell me I need to make a role for every microphone used in the production.

LOL, no, not at all, I just mean having them set properly as you do. You'd be surprised how many people just leave them at their, often incorrect, defaults...

I do a TON of multi cam work and I've never had problems from my sound guy receiving what I send out of X2Pro. Roles are just helpful if you want to help organize the output (dialog, music, effects, etc)

" Roles are just helpful if you want to help organize the output (dialog, music, effects, etc)"

Yes, and for something with just a few sources, maybe not a big deal. If you have 30-30-40 "tracks" of DIA/FX/MX, organizing output is critical. Unless you hate your mixer. lol

Whew! That's a relief.


What about using xto7 and then creating an OMF from there?

Seanus wrote: Whew! That's a relief.


What about using xto7 and then creating an OMF from there?

Yep, that'll work.

You could go xto7 and output there, but I don't see the point. Roles are great, and even better when you make splits instantly! I would suggest even further breaking at least your effects into subroles. It's pretty helpful actually in the cut, and your mixer will love it. Ambience, hard effects, production sound, etc.

The sound mixer I go to thought I had developed OCD after I sent him my first X2Pro AAF. I can't say enough good things about it. Since everything was so well laid out he was done in half the time. Spring for the pro version as it trims the audio to make the AAF much smaller.

I agree that using X2Pro is a better idea than going to FCP7 and then making an OMF.

You can run into some multicam problems going back to 7 that way. You'd have to go through the whole program to double check it translated perfectly before making an OMF. I would not want to go through that trouble.

X2Pro has worked really well for our facility. And our Audio guys will all agree that they prefer getting a nice neat aaf from FCPX.

I do recommend making separate roles for any people who may have totally different audio levels or background noise the rest of the mics. Your Audio Engineer will love you for it.

Scott Markowitz wrote: I agree that using X2Pro is a better idea than going to FCP7 and then making an OMF.
I do recommend making separate roles for any people who may have totally different audio levels or background noise the rest of the mics. Your Audio Engineer will love you for it.

Great advice!

You can even separate them out between lav and boom for one character. To not have to sit there for an hour while the mixer has to do keyboard shortcuts for a half hour organizing everything is worth it alone.

Going back to FCP7 for omf export with Xto7 works, but requires manually cleaning things up and a bit of trial/error. Depends on the footage I guess, but it tends to mess clips up in more than one way (duplicating clips multiple times, deleting others entirely, fades don't translate - only keyframes, other weird behaviour). And any compound clips will have to be broken apart first. Same with synchronized clips, from 10.1 onwards.

I'll be taking a look at X2Pro next, and wouldn't recommend the Xto7 hassle unless it's a very simple timeline.

"I'll be taking a look at X2Pro next, and wouldn't recommend the Xto7 hassle unless it's a very simple timeline."

Hey Jesse... Agreed. going through 7 does work, but requires at the very least some cleaning up, if not rebuilding. And if it's a complicated timeline, easy to miss things. X2Pro just works, and really well. A nice clean split project with about 3 mouse clicks. Worth every penny IMO...

I guess the benefit for me is that I leave the production house I'm freelancing at with an FCP 7 version of the job. Then they can work on if needed as they won't switch to FCPX. (I only agreed to do the job if they'd let me cut in FCPX)

As Xto7 is so cheap compared to X2Pro I'm going to try this pathway first.
I take it it will require my FCP X Project to working with External media so it can relink in 7?

I usually work with external media. I think you are right that FCP7 won't be able to navigate into the library bundle but you could temporarily move the original media folder out of it.

Seanus wrote: As Xto7 is so cheap compared to X2Pro I'm going to try this pathway first.
I take it it will require my FCP X Project to working with External media so it can relink in 7?

Makes sense, particularly if you don't really need X2Pro often. And honestly, Xto7 works really well now, you'll just need to clean up the timeline, redo any effects (especially if you want to leave a "working" 7 project), and make sure everything came over.

And yes, you'll need to get the media out of the Library package to open it in 7 (and make an OMF) and to leave them the media. If your X Library has managed media in it, you could make a copy, and then consolidate the media out of the copy and leave that for them. That way you'd still have your original managed library. I guess it depends on how much media there is, but no matter what you'l need to copy it for them I guess...